Thread: Captain Traiting in the Moors

Hello Everyone,

There are several different traiting options and multiple types of play styles for captain's especially in the moors. I was wanting to know what people are finding out to be the most effective way to trait for the moors. I have been finding myself running Yellow due to the benefit of being able to block without a shield, but at the cost of additional attack damage and other desireable traits. I was wondering if I could get replies for Group/Raiding play and what would be the best way for if you are a Solo captain.

Thanks Guys!!

I posted some links in our cappy sticky, you should be able to find some good stuff there.

I like to solo and I suck at heralds so I'm 5 red with turn of the tide (which is nearly useless due to audacity), strength from within and alert guard.

I use the moors banner. The planted morale banner is useless more times than useful.

I'm pretty much always solo in the moors. I run 5 Red, Strength from Within, and Composure, with a banner for the most part (not the moors one, sadly). My gear isn't very good since I'm lazy (I currently run 3 Dagor, 2 Tognir, Old Moors Shoulders. ~11k morale, 1200 might, 1200 vit, 450 agi, 61% tact mit, 17.2% finesse), but I find I'm more than a match for most creeps. You don't need great gear to kill most ranked creeps out there. I eventually plan on running 3 dagor, 3 New Moors (Perseverance I think is the set name - the one with the -20% defeat response cd)

You'll definitely want to make sure you have a dedicated Moors DPS emblem (I run Vocal Healing, Rallying Cry CD, Muster Courage CD, Shadow's Lament CD, Time of Need CD, Time of Need Cost). You'll also want an emblem swap for SoTD CD and a weapon swap. You'll also want a weapon swap with the Make Haste Duration. If you have a SA buffstick and buff emblem, it can accomodate those alongside the more typical legacies captain's put on their swaps.

I've been home for an upcoming exam so I haven't had access to LOTRO for the past couple of weeks, but I had some success against spiders traited yellow with loyalty and strength from within. I used focus on myself for the extra 250 ICPR and the power herald for more ICPR and the power/health heal. Shield brother the herald so you have access to inspire and 20% incoming healing. Kill the spider's pet first, then just heal and slowly dps the spider. The increased ICPR will help counter the effects of their drain and let you continue using muster courage and inspire on a regular basis even when you run out of power. I can almost pull off wins against spiders red-lined, but invariably I run out of power due to their drain and the increased # of attacks I have to launch because of their insane toggle bpe bonus. When I run out of power red-lined, the fight's pretty much over.

Good wargs are probably the toughest fights. I find yellow does not work well against wargs. They can DPS through your heals, and with their refreshing bubbles, it's better to just DPS them down red-traited. I haven't tested yellow against wargs since U6 came out though. Pre-U6, yellow made fights against reavers mindnumbingly dull. Red works just fine for reavers...and it ends the fight faster.

I pretty much recommend being red-lined for most fights. It's much more fun than "tanking" creeps and feels much less cheap when you win. I run without a herald because I'm lazy and like to use a horse (hate having to re-apply brothers when dismounting or being dismounted). Not sure which way is actually "better" though.


Edit: Cutting attack is a captain's best friend. Don't forget to liberally apply it.

Originally Posted by Theodoriph

I've been home for an upcoming exam so I haven't had access to LOTRO for the past couple of weeks, but I had some success against spiders traited yellow with loyalty and strength from within. I used focus on myself for the extra 250 ICPR and the power herald for more ICPR and the power/health heal. Shield brother the herald so you have access to inspire and 20% incoming healing. Kill the spider's pet first, then just heal and slowly dps the spider. The increased ICPR will help counter the effects of their drain and let you continue using muster courage and inspire on a regular basis even when you run out of power. I can almost pull off wins against spiders red-lined, but invariably I run out of power due to their drain and the increased # of attacks I have to launch because of their insane toggle bpe bonus. When I run out of power red-lined, the fight's pretty much over.


Edit: Cutting attack is a captain's best friend. Don't forget to liberally apply it.

This is true against the spiders. The cutting attack slow literally removes our effect to kite unless we drop web the earth. Killing a spiders pet is a big annoyance - however if the spider has good reactions they will apply devour before you kill the pet. However, once you kill the pet, be careful. It will probably be the strong melee pet, and will drop a poison cloud upon death. I stunned a captain while he was in my death cloud once. He lost a big chunk of power and a decent amount of morale. So kill the pet and get out of the AoE cloud as soon as you can.

If a spider has catch prey tiered out it's going to be a really hard fight. It means that you won't be blocking/parrying/evading at all. I won another captain right when U6 went live. I didn't have any of my new 3 skills nor additonal audacity ranks, and I won because literally all of the captains attacks I avoided.

Hope this gives you some help against spiders, even if the intention of the thread was about traiting

Originally Posted by Armitas

I posted some links in our cappy sticky, you should be able to find some good stuff there.

I like to solo and I suck at heralds so I'm 5 red with turn of the tide (which is nearly useless due to audacity), strength from within and alert guard.

I use the moors banner. The planted morale banner is useless more times than useful.

Isnt the banner of war basically the same banner, what is the difference?

Thanks for the reply

The moors banner looks identical the planted war banner, and the buff looks identical to the power regen buff. The internal stats on the moors banner (equip buffs) are the same as the war banner, however when planted it gives you physical and tactical mitigation rather than might and agility.

Originally Posted by Armitas

The moors banner looks identical the planted war banner, and the buff looks identical to the power regen buff. The internal stats on the moors banner (equip buffs) are the same as the war banner, however when planted it gives you physical and tactical mitigation rather than might and agility.

Do you have the Tact and Phys Mit amount it gives? I think I may have to get me one. What do you think about the armor and jewelry? Do you think it is best to go all might, or a mix of might and vit? I would post a Screen Shot of what I have but, not on my gaming comp. Perhaps later. Thanks,

I'll edit here to post the mitigations once I get in game. edit:: 1351 physical/tactical mitigation

Try to stay in the 10k morale range, and don't go below it. Get your mitigations up high as well. Our dps is really really slow, our hots are weak but they last long so we need to give our abilities time to work.

Because our dps is so slow your not going to be able to retaliate and catch up on dps right after you get out of a CC, your going to have to be strong enough to eat it while your being cc'd over and over again.

If you can spar a RK or a hunter and do well then your mits are right on. If they are killing you without getting damaged then you need to get more mitigations. For the moors stack tactical over physical.

I've recently started up in moors myself (want the 6s Rallying Cry/shorter Shadows Lament from that set). I'm a bit surprised that folks aren't recommending Defiance. Yes, it is a bit situational and Last Stand has a long cooldown. But in my (admittedly short) experience, it has absolutely saved me a number of times, either because focus fire switches to someone else or because I can run into NPC/friendly folks/etc. 25 seconds is much more feasable than 15, as you are often slowed and can't get far in the 15... Been doing 5xred, Strength from Within, Defiance, and it seems pretty fair to me.

Your completely right!
I keep it around a lot more now that I'm going through the command set (-25% LS Cooldown). It's a very nice offensive skill, even though we use it defensivley in PvE. I never use it in a fight against 1 creep, but It has been enough to let me kill 2 before I die if they are low enough in rank. At any rate your renown will go up much faster with defiance if you use it offensivley... though If you use it against 1 creep your renown will go up, just not in a good way..

I keep defiance on until I join the 1v1's and replace it with alert guard.